Sept. 13, 2011

Final Stats |   

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina defeated mountain-rival UNC-Asheville, 3-1, Wednesday night in exciting fashion, winning its first home match of the season. With the win, WCU improves to 3-8 while UNCA falls to 5-6 on the season.

Four Catamounts finished the match with double-doubles, two of which came from freshman. Caitlin Piechota led the way for the Catamounts offensively with 18 kills, also adding 12 digs. Both are career highs for the freshman. Classmate Jordan Timmermann had 11 kills and 11 digs.

The match was very close throughout, with both teams battling back and forth for the lead. In the opening set, UNCA jumped out to a 9-3 lead before the Catamounts came back and tied the set at 19-19. A block solo and a block assist by Rebecca Stoltz, along with some timely kills by WCU, allowed the Catamounts to get back in the set before eventually dropping the first set, 25-22.

In the second set, Western Carolina overcame a six-point deficit to take the second set. Abbey Scroggins and Stoltz both came up with two points apiece to bring back the Catamounts.

The third set - the most exciting set of the night - needed 28 points to decide a winner. Neither team took more than a three point lead throughout. Piechota picked up six of her 18 kills in the third. After a UNCA attack error put the Catamounts ahead 25-24, the Bulldogs evened things up with a kill by Anna Moore. Another Piechota kill off of a Brittany Lysik set gave WCU a one-point lead. The Catamounts couldn't hold the advantage as UNCA would once again even the set at 26. A service error by UNCA followed by a forceful block by Rebecca Blotz and Abbey Scroggins would end the set.

Western Carolina saw its largest lead of the evening in the final set, streaking to an 18-10 advantage. A run behind the serve of UNCA's Alex Stewart would give the Bulldogs the spark they needed to, again, bring a tie to the match at 23-23. The final set ended nearly the same way as the fourth, with a UNCA service error and another big block from Rebecca Stoltz, this time with the assistance of fellow senior Brittany Lysik.

Veteran returners Abbey Scroggins played a very complete match for the Purple and Gold, finishing the match with 12 kills, 20 digs and two block assists, while setter Brittany Lysik dished 39 assists, a career high, and 16 digs.

Freshman libero Paige McConlogue, playing the libero position for the second week in a row, also added 22 digs.

"Paige [McConlogue] really stepped it up tonight, filling the libero role," stated head coach Karen Glover, who also picked up her first career victory in the Ramsey Center. "It was really a team effort offensively and defensively. Caitlin Piechota really stood out and got us kills when we needed them."

The Catamounts will play in their final non-conference tournament this weekend, as WCU makes the short trip across the South Carolina border to play in the Spartan Classic, hosted by USC Upstate. Western Carolina will open the tournament facing the Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb for the first of two matches this season against the school from Boiling Springs. WCU will face off with Gardner-Webb Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m.